Love to spend a day by the beach, far from the madding crowd? The Harita Beach Shacks, developed by the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), right opposite the main arch leading Buddhish Heritage site at Thotlakonda, is the place to be.
With the picnic season of Karthika month barely a week away, the shacks are sure to catch the fancy of revellers. The facility, which opened last Saturday, has four shacks (a kind of modern huts) with sitouts facing the beach front, the palm groves and the weathered rocks on the beach, which have been the favourite of film-makers for quite a long time.
Apart from the shacks for the public to relax, there is a kitchen, an office block, two large washrooms with bathing facilities and ample parking place for cars and two-wheelers. Lawns and walkways have been developed to move between the shacks, the kitchen and washrooms.
“We had a huge crowd on the very second day (Sunday), after the inauguration. We did a business of Rs.20,000 that evening through the sale of food,” Satya Rao, Assistant Manager of Harita Beach Shacks, said. “We will let out the shacks for all kinds of parties like: birthdays, picnics and wedding functions. The cost to utilise each shack has been fixed at Rs.5,000, when the guests wish to get their own food from outside. Alternatively, if they wish to avail of food from our canteen, they would have to pay Rs.300 a plate for veg and Rs.400 a plate for non-veg food. The cost is inclusive of taxes. Those going for the second option needn’t pay for the shacks,” he said.
“This is a new facility and we are planning to spend a day with our members and their families during our annual picnic this year. The beaches in the city are overcrowded and this being a little away from the city is sure to give our members a gala time,” said Nekkanti Rajasekhar, a representative of Visakhapatnam Furniture Dealers Welfare Association, who came to check out the amenities and the cost to spend the day there.
Visitors can pick up their choice of food from the kitchen and relax under the shacks as they enjoy the cool breeze. The menu includes veg fried rice, veg noodles, egg fried rice, biryani, rotis, snacks like bread, sandwich, bajji, tea and coffee, soft drinks and ice creams.
What’s lacking is play equipment for children, accommodation for those, who may wish to stay for the night and bar license, which could keep guzzlers away.
